This collection of posters documents the repertoire of important theaters in the suburbs of Vienna from Biedermeier to the
Gründerzeit periods.

Background

Vienna, with its Opera and Burgtheater, has long been considered a theater capital of Europe, along with Paris, London, and
later Berlin. This collection of posters documents the repertoire of important theaters in the suburbs of Vienna from Biedermeier
to the Gründerzeit periods.The Theater in der Leopoldstadt opened in 1781. It soon became known as the 'Kasperletheater' (Punch-and-Judy-show), named
after the performances of La Roche as Punch. For a time, musical comedies were played there (Salieri's Cosa Rara, 1787, which
Mozart quoted in Don Giovanni, and Ditters von Dittersdorf Doktor und Apotheker, 1789).It superseded the nearby Freihaustheater (1787 - 1801), where many Mozart operas had their first performance, among them the
Zauberflöte. Schikaneder, the director, commissioned the Theater an der Wien to be built. It opened in 1801. Beethoven's Fidelio
was first performed here and Grillparzer's Ahnfrau as well as Kleist's Käthchen von Heilbronn. Lortzing's, Weber's, and the
first Rossini operas were performed here.Opened in 1788, the Theater in der Josephstadt frequently shared directors (Hensler from 1822-25, Carl from 1825-1828, and
then Pokorny from 1837-1848) and casts (Raimund from 1814, W. Scholz and Nestroy) with the other two theaters. The repertoire
changed with the directors, ranging with from an emphasis on Italian operas from 1832/1834, and again under Pokorny, to a
variety of dramas and comedies at other times.

Extent

2 print boxes
(138 items)

Restrictions

Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights
reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To
obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the
Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections.